About the Festival

The Penn-Mar Irish Festival is held annually on the third Saturday in June, near the Mason-Dixon Line and featuring traditional and contemporary Irish music and dance from Pennsylvania and Maryland performers, plus some special guests. Festival gates open at 10:30 a.m.

Pets are not permitted on festival grounds. Smoking will be restricted to a designated area only and we thank you for your cooperation.

Some seating will be provided; lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. Beginning in 2016, we moved to the grassy area on the grounds. We will also be reserving some space on the side of the east stage for those wishing to dance during the last two bands of the evening. Please keep that in mind as you select your seat upon arrival. The dance area will be marked and we kindly ask that festival guests do not stand in front of seated guests.

The first Penn-Mar Irish Festival was held in 2001 at Morris Meadows Museum in northern Baltimore County (MD), as a fundraiser for Penn-Mar Organization (now called Penn-Mar Human Services). A few years later, the festival moved to The Markets at Shrewsbury in southern York County (PA) where it has grown at a comfortable pace over the years.

After the 2013 festival, the management team at Penn-Mar Human Services made the decision to relinquish their connection to the festival due to the time, energy, and resources required.

In the fall of 2013, a handful of the key committee members who had been volunteering their time organizing most aspects of the festival officially formed a new entity to assume responsibility for the event. The Penn-Mar Irish Festival is now legally chartered in Pennsylvania as a not-for-profit corporation with the mission of promoting Celtic heritage in our community. This community event will continue on the grounds of The Markets of Shrewsbury.

Additional committee members and volunteers are welcome, in order to ensure that the event continues to be well-planned and executed. Please let us know if you would like to get involved! We would love to hear from you.

Sponsors and partners are also welcome, and we have a variety of marketing opportunities available for all budgets.

Please visit our Facebook page for photo albums from the past few years.